1. Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to a tray used in orthodontic offices for holding appliances that are used during the course of treatment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an orthodontic set-up tray having receptacles that removably receive appliances intended for connection to the teeth of an orthodontic patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Orthodontic treatment involves movement of malpositioned teeth to improved positions in proper alignment with each other. Orthodontic treatment can enable the patient's teeth to function better with each other during mastication. In addition, orthodontic treatment can greatly enhance the patient's facial appearance, especially in regions near the front of the patient's oral cavity.
One type of common orthodontic treatment includes the use of a set of tiny appliances known as brackets. Each bracket is received on a respective tooth of the patient, and has a slot for receiving a resilient wire known as an archwire. The archwire forms a track to guide movement of the teeth to orthodontically correct positions. Ends of the archwire are often received in small appliances known as buccal tubes that are connected to the patient's molar teeth.
Each of the patient's teeth has a configuration that is different than other teeth in the oral cavity. In addition, the desired final orientation of each tooth in three-dimensional space, such as the amount of inclination of the longitudinal axis of the tooth as well as the position of the longitudinal axis relative to a particular reference point in the patient's oral cavity, differs from one tooth to another. The orthodontic appliances that are selected for each patient typically vary in structural geometry from one another and are intended for use only with certain teeth.
Orthodontic appliances that are selected by the practitioner for use with a particular patient are often placed in advance on a tray known as a set-up tray. The set-up tray has receptacles for receiving the appliances and arranging the appliances in an orderly fashion. By arranging the appliances in the receptacles in advance, the selection and placement of the appliances is facilitated once the patient's teeth have been properly prepared.
Orthodontic set-up trays often have receptacles arranged along two rows. The receptacles in the upper row correspond in location to teeth located along the patient's upper dental arch, and the receptacles in the lower row correspond in location to teeth that are located along the patient's lower dental arch. In this manner, the appliances can be quickly retrieved in the order desired by the practitioner and there is less likelihood that one of the appliances will be placed on a tooth other than the intended tooth.
Many orthodontic set-up trays have two rows of receptacles with fourteen receptacles in each row for a total of twenty-eight receptacles, and are normally used by placing an appliance in each receptacle so that an appliance is provided for each tooth of the patient's upper and lower dental arches. Other orthodontic set-up trays have two rows of receptacles with ten receptacles in each row for a total of twenty receptacles, and are normally used in a similar fashion except that appliances for the molar teeth are omitted. If the practitioner elects to use a set-up tray having only twenty receptacles, the appliances intended for the molar teeth are typically handled separately.
A variety of orthodontic set-up trays are known. Some set-up trays are intended for use with a single patient, and other set-up trays are intended for reuse. Orthodontic set-up trays intended for reuse are typically disinfected or sterilized after each use in order to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination between patients. If the reusable tray is sterilized, it is often sterilized in the same equipment used to sterilize other articles in the practitioner's office such as hand instruments.
Unfortunately, many of the orthodontic set-up trays with twenty-eight receptacles do not fit within the confines of the sterilizer in the practitioner's office. The purchase of a larger sterilizer may not be an attractive option due to the expense. Moreover, reducing the size of a set-up tray with twenty-eight receptacles may not be a satisfactory solution for some practitioners, because the space between each receptacle is reduced. This reduction in space tends to increase the difficulty of grasping the appliance when needed for use.